Vantage Data Centers recently disclosed plans to construct the second Joburg data center in Ekurhuleni, east of the city. This comes after it recently completed the construction of a data center in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
With huge amounts of money being invested in data centers by companies like Teraco, NTT, and Africa Data Centers, Johannesburg is becoming a hub for data center investments in Africa.
Read also: Phase one construction of JB4, new hyperscale data center at Bredell Campus, South Africa, completed
The new campus by Vantage will be constructed close to Isando. The site is already the location of several huge data centers constructed by Teraco. The distance between the second Joburg data center and the Teraco site, which also houses the NAPAfrica Internet exchange point, will be only 2 kilometers.
By the middle of 2024, a 20 MW, 33 000 sq m, two-storey facility that will serve as the JNB2 campus’ first building will be operational. Vantage is repurposing a section of an existing warehouse for the first phase.
According to the company’s statement, Vantage’s standardized campus blueprint serves as the basis for many JNB2 features. It also places an emphasis on sustainable construction practices.
This includes providing renewable energy options through a recent power purchase deal with SolarAfrica, limiting carbon footprints, and also maintaining energy-effective operations with an industry-leading power usage effectiveness. Additionally, it will minimize the use of water.
When will the second Joburg data center be operational?
According to the company, the next phase will begin operation in early 2024. It is currently under construction.
The first data center on the JNB2 campus will be cooled using a highly efficient closed-loop chilled water system produced by air-cooled chillers. Based on the outside ambient temperature, an integrated economizer will allow for reduced compressor energy.
Vantage is able to minimize resource usage by taking advantage of the cooler seasonal temperatures.
Customers will benefit from the power supplied by the municipality of Ekurhuleni.
At JNB1, Vantage’s site in Midrand, the next phase of development has also started. For JNB1, a total of 80 MW of data center capacity is planned.
